PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H L Meltzer

Publications and source records attributed to H L Meltzer.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

The importance of dietary control in metabolic studies of manic-depressive patients.

Diet control of electrolyte intake appears to diminish day to day variation of urinary electrolyte output. Urine sodium concentration is more affected by diet control than potassium, possibly due to the greater variation in sodium ingestion on uncontrolled diets. The coefficient of variation of urinary sodium excretion on the controlled diet was not significantly greater than the variation in sodium ingestion. These experimental results suggest that controlled diets reduce random variation in sodium and potassium excretion and therefore enhance the possibility of observing illness-related biological changes.

Bipolar Disorder↗
PubMed1979

The effect of ruthenium red and NEM on lithium efflux from human erythrocytes.

The lithium pump in intact human erythrocytes which has previously been shown to be repressed following lithium carbonate ingestion by manic-depressive subjects is now shown to be inhibited selectively by N-ethylmaleimide and ruthenium red, both of which are known to inhibit the erythrocyte Ca pump. It is proposed that active lithium efflux is linked to the concurrent operation of the calcium pump.

Biological Transport, Active↗
PubMed1979

Repression and reactivation of lithium efflux from erythrocytes.

Efflux of lithium from human erythrocytes was studied in patients before, during, and after discontinuation of administration of lithium carbonate. Onset of lithium-induced repression of efflux took approximately 10 days and was significantly shorter in patients who had had lithium therapy previously. Reactivation took a longer period of time--approximately 2 week--and was found to be related to duration of lithium therapy. Theoretical pathways of lithium flow through membranes are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

The relationship of the lithium erythrocyte: plasma ratio to plasma lithium level.

The relationship of the lithium erythrocyte:plasma ratio to plasma lithium concentration was reviewed in inpatients and outpatients with affective disorders. For some patients, there was a linear correlation between the erythrocyte lithium:plasma lithium ratio and the plasma lithium concentration. For these patients a graph of the slopes and intercepts of the lithium erythrocyte:plasma ratio vs. plasma lithium data formed a line that was not significantly different from the data of Lee et al. (1975). Significant correlations were found between the slopes and intercepts of the lithium erythrocyte:plasma ratio vs. plasma lithium data and the magnitude of active lithium efflux (Ko) from the erythrocyte. Our data confirm the finding of Lee et al. (1975) that the lithium erythrocyte:plasma ratio is dependent on the plasma lithium concentration. We relate this finding to lithium efflux from the erythrocyte.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Clinical correlates of the lithium pump.

The active efflux of lithium from erythrocytes, expressed as the rate constant ko, was studied in patients with primary affective disorder and in controls. The authors' data suggest that ko is stable within individuals over time, is inhibited during treatment with lithium carbonate, and may be a good index of lithium toxicity. ko correlates significantly with the lithium erythrocyte/plasma ratio but is seemingly not related to age, sex, or affective disease subtype. Preliminary data suggest that ko may be determined, at least in part, by a genetic factor.

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMed1977

Repression of a lithium pump as a consequence of lithium ingestion by manic-depressive subjects.

The lithium pump in human erythrocyte membranes, which is responsible for extrusion of lithium against a concentration gradient, has been found to be reversibly repressed during periods of lithium carbonate administration. The pump activity of patients prior to lithium therapy is not different from controls. The onset of repression may require several days to several weeks and occurs at specific individual threshold levels of lithium carbonate dosage. Reactivation of the lithium pump occurs sometime after the dosage is discontinued. We postulate that repression of the lithium pump results from systemically available factors which alter membrane structure, and suggest that is such changes also occur in the central nervous system, they may provide insight into one means by which lithium produces its psychotropic affects.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Prostaglandins. A review of neurophysiology and psychiatric implications.

This article reviews the function of prostaglandins (PGs) in the nervous system and discusses the possible alterations in PG metabolism as relating to mental illness. The PGs are a unique group of cyclic fatty acids whose immediate precursors are thought to function postsynaptically by inhibition or facillitation of neurotransmission through cyclase inhibition or activation, and by means of a negative feedback loop to inhibit further release of neurotransmitter from the presynaptic nerve. A review of PGs in psychiatric conditions is presented as well as a discussion of the interaction of psychoactive drugs with the PGs. The concluding section of this review discusses possible future strategies to provide insight into PG physiology as it relates to synaptic transmission in normal and pathological conditions in man.

Central Nervous System↗
PubMed1977

Prostaglandin F in patients with primary affective disorder.

Two aspects of prostaglandin F (PGF) metabolism were assessed in patients with primary affective disorder. For a group of hospitalized patients cerebrospinal fluid PGF was measured by radioimmunoassay and the effects of probenecid and L-tryptophan were determined. For outpatients attending our Lithium Clinic, plasma PGF was measured and the acute and chronic effects of lithium were determined. The results of the studies reveal apparently normal concentrations of PGF in cerebrospinal fluid. These concentrations increase twofold after probenecid, indicating that PGF is transported out of the central nervous system by a probenecid-sensitive active transport system. Evidence for inhibition of PGF synthesis during L-tryptophan treatment was found. The results for outpatient plasma studies suggest no effect on PGF with 12 weeks of lithium treatment, although a slight elevation of plasma PGF with chronic lithium treatment may occur. Specificity of the assay technique as applied to plasma is discussed. This is the first report of the direct measurement of PGF in a psychiatric disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Plasma and erythrocyte magnesium levels in patients with primary affective disorder during chronic lithium treatment.

Plasma and erythrocyte magnesium concentrations were measured in 79 clinic outpatients who had histories of bipolar or unipolar primary affective disorder and who were being chronically treated with lithium carbonate (60 patients) or placebo (19 patients). Although slight differences in the mean concentration of magnesium in plasma and erythrocytes were noted with lithium treatment, diagnosis, and sex, the differences overall failed to achieve statistical significance. In contrast to prior reports demonstrating increases in plasma magnesium during acute lithium carbonate treatment of affectively ill patients, these data suggest that the pre-lithium steady state is achieved during chronic lithium treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Onset of audiogenic seizures in rodents after intake of near-toxic doses of rubidium chloride.

Rats and mice that were not genetically or otherwise predisposed toward audiogenic seizures were rendered susceptible to auditory stimuli by chronic treatment with large doses of rubidium chloride (RbCl). Animals given drinking water, 0.03 N with respect to RbCl, for four weeks responded with convulsive seizures when exposed to signals of 2 to 22 kHz and 74 dbA. The rate of development of audiosusceptibility was dose-related. Less rubidium was needed if the diet was deficient in potassium. No differences were found between tissue rubidium in treated rats which became audiosensitive and their counterparts which remained resistant to auditory stimuli.

Acoustic Stimulation↗